Capt. William Hart's "Dallas Artillery" was organized at Dallas, Polk County, Arkansas, and mustered into Confederate service at Fayetteville on August 1, 1861, for twelve months. The battery was alleged to have disgraced itself at the battle of Pea Ridge, and was ordered to be disbanded. Some of the men were dishonorably discharged. A subsequent court of inquiry absolved Hart's Battery of misconduct, as evidenced by the following order --
“HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE WEST, Priceville, July 17, 1862. General Orders No. 15. It having been satisfactorily proven to a court of inquiry, convened for the purpose of investigating the conduct of certain men, formerly members of the artillery company known as Hart’s Battery, at the battle of Elkhorn, that those men were guilty of no misconduct on the battle-field, it is hereby ordered that they, viz, Charles E. Steele, M. M. Tice, W. D. Moore, John Kennedy, B. L. Allen, William Masterson, N. B. Milton, and James Pitkins, be, and they are hereby, relieved from the censure contained in General Orders No. 10, dated Headquarters Trans-Mississippi District, Van Buren, Ark., March 22, 1862, disbanding Hart’s Battery Light Artillery ‘for shameful conduct in the presence of the enemy’. By order of Major-General Price: THOMAS L. SNEAD, Assistant Adjutant-General.”
Captain Hart was allowed to reorganize his battery, which was completed on or about August 1, 1862, at Camp White Sulphur Springs, mainly through transfers from the infantry regiments posted at the camp.
Hart's Battery was captured when Arkansas Post surrendered on January 11, 1863. Reports of the battle state that Hart's Battery fought valiantly. After being exchanged, the battery reorganized again and served to the end of the war. The battery was posted in camp near Marshall, Texas, when the war ended.